Best Cauliflower Ever

Cook a head cauliflower until fork tender. You can either cook it as a whole head, or in pieces -- whichever you like best.  You can use a pressure cooker for about 5 minutes or steam it for about 15 minutes.  My family likes it in little pieces because the mayonaise mixture covers it better and it's easier to eat and serve that way.

Combine:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard

Mix and then "frost" the cauliflower with the mayo/mustard mixture, then salt and pepper.  Top with grated cheddar cheese.  Then you can either microwave for about 2 minutes (until cheese is melted) or put it under the broiler in the oven for a little bit of a crust on the cheese.  The broiler method is best.

Summer Medley

This is one of my favorites this past summer.

* 1-2 chicken breasts - fry in a little olive oil
In a seperate pan, fry in a little olive oil:
* 2 celerly stalks - chopped
* 2 carrots - chopped
* 1-2 potatoes - chopped

Combine together; add a little seasoned salt; chop a half a head of cabbage and add; cover and let it steam for about 5 minutes. Add a little ranch and you have a summer medley! :) It's very yummy.

Veggie Bars

Spread out 2 (8oz) packages of refrigerated crescent roll dough onto an 18x12 cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-13 min. Let cool.

Mix 6 oz. cream cheese with 1 oz. ranch dressing powder (1 packet). Spread on cooled crescents. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and veggies of your choice.  We loved it with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots (making sure to cut them into very small pieces).  This is oh so good!

Thank you Stacey for sharing this recipe!

Zesty Vegetable Medley

My mom got this recipe from Weight Watchers.  It is healthy, yummy and looks pretty too! It is a great alternative to the regular {same old} relish tray.

"Marinate" in the fridge for a few hours (you can use a large zip lock bag):

• 1 bottle Fat Free Zesty Italian salad dressing
• baby carrots
• cauliflower
• broccoli
• cherry tomatoes
• sliced olives

I like to stir (or move them around in the zip lock bag) the vegetables around every once in awhile to make sure everything is getting good and coated.  So delicious!

*Optional: you could sprinkle bacon bits on top or crushed up walnuts but it really is flavorful with just the dressing.

*Tip: I like to rinse my vegetables that need to be washed and then spin all the water out of them in my salad spinner.  It works really well.

Ranch Potatoes

These potatoes are SO good and SO easy!  They make a great alternative to french fries when served with hamburgers, but could go with about anything.

You will need:
2 lbs red potatoes (or whatever kind you have, I have tried all varieties and they all work great!)
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing mix (2 to 3 TB)
2 TB vegetable oil

You could add a variety of vegetables to go with the potatoes as well.  Strips of green pepper, carrots, slices of onion would all be good with this.


Scrub potatoes clean and slice them into bite-sized pieces (leave skins on).   Put potatoes in a gallon zip lock bag with the dry Ranch Dressing mix and oil.  Shake it until potatoes are well coated.  Spray a baking sheet (with sides on it) with cooking spray.  Don't use foil, it sticks to it.  If you spray the pan first it cleans easily.


Bake at 450 for 35 minutes or so.  We leave them in until they are really toasted and a little crispy on the outside.  Sometimes I sprinkle the potatoes with a little coarse salt, just because I like coarse salt on potatoes.

Shredded Potatoes Au Gratin

I found this recipe on a blog I occasionally look at and she had found it on another site here. I'm sure many of you have had "Mormon Potatoes" aka "Funeral Potatoes". These yummy potatoes are just as easy to prepare but without the use of the processed cream soups. If you haven't tried these you should. The cream makes them taste like a cheesey scalloped potato. So now we have a gluten-free potato recipe :)

• 4 cups of frozen shredded hash browns, thawed or 1 (20 oz) bag of refrigerated shredded hash browns (like Simply Potatoes)
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (I like to use sharp cheddar)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine hash browns, cream, 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, green onion, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well
3. Spoon or pour hash browns into prepared dish or dishes and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook according to below times until bubbly and golden.

•For (8) 1/2 cup ramekins bake 20-25 minutes
•For (4) 1 cup ramekins bake 35-45 minutes
•For 11x 7 baking dish bake 47-57 minutes

Roasted Asparagus w/lemon and Goat Cheese

1 lemon
2 lbs asparagus, trimmed
1 Tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Cup Vegetable or chicken broth
3 oz. soft Goat cheese, crumbled

Heat oven to 425. Spray a roasting pan or shallow baking sheet with cooking spray. Zest lemon then squeeze to get fresh lemon juice. Stir asparagus in oil, season with black pepper, add broth. Bake 20 minutes or until tender. Top with cheese, lemon peel and juice.